Funny
and exciting, Edge of
Tomorrow
is a great time at the movies.
Here's
the setup: it's basically Groundhog Day
in the middle of an alien invasion, with Tom Cruise forced to live
the same fate-of-humanity battle over and over again. While
Groundhog Day
saw Bill Murray's self-absorbed weatherman learn how to be a decent
human being, Edge
of Tomorrow
sees Tom Cruise learning both Decency 101 and how to defeat the alien
menace.
So, if you're the kind of moviegoer who saw Groundhog Day and thought, “This movie needs more 'splosions,” then Edge of Tomorrow is the movie for you. I have that thought during nearly every movie I see. I loved it.
What
makes Edge of
Tomorrow
work? Front and center, there's Tom Cruise offering yet another
performance to remind us that he's a much better actor than everyone
seems to think. His protagonist begins the film as a smooth,
self-centered coward, and Cruise sells that characterization while
keeping us on his side. Much of the film's second act is comprised
of Cruise's character getting killed in a variety of ways, and he
sells that with a series of high-pitched yelps, screams, and “Oh,
mans” that remind us more of Loony Tunes than Starship
Troopers.
By the time the third act rolls around and our hero has finally
matured into, well, our hero, the film has so won us over that we
really don't mind that it's rehashing Pacific Rim.
What else makes it work? First, Emily Blunt offers first-class
supporting work as the Angel of Verdun, a war hero from an earlier
battle who (because of sci-fi stuff) experienced the same time-loop
there that our hero is experiencing here. She becomes his mentor and
(age inappropriate) love interest, and the movie has fun with the
idea that she's meeting him for the first time nearly every time he
resurrects (in some of his cycles, Cruise skips meeting her and
attends to other business instead). Second, Bill Paxton is
perfection in a uniform as the sergeant major who turns up near the
beginning of each new time loop. He's authoritative and commanding,
yet somehow goofy enough to maintain the film's light, entertaining
tone.
Director Doug Liman keeps the film moving briskly, hits the right
character notes, and makes his world seem lived-in and authentic.
Perhaps more importantly, he has a great sense of geography. Even
during chaotic battle scenes, he gives the audience enough
information to never lose track of who is doing what to whom, and
where and why. The production values are top-notch, the monster
designs excellent, and the whole thing a pleasure.
Bottom
line: if you like big-budget sci-fi adventure with a sense of humor
and lots of 'splosions, then Edge
of Tomorrow
is for you. As for me, I loved it. I can't wait to see it with my
kids.
